AGAIN THE ALSATIAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 253, 26 October 1933, Page 22

AGAIN THE ALSATIAN.

! It had to be expected that someone 5 would catch at the unfavourable and ; generalising remark against the Alsatian ) made recently during a Court case and reported in the papers. However, it is 1 no wonder that "Anti-Alsatian" agrees " with it if he has two neighbours who i keep their Alsatians chained up during » 24 hours daily. If his statement is really true he should inform my club of the locality and give us a chance to look into 5 the matter for the benefit of all con- ) cerned, for, to be sure, we are as anxious " as himself to stop dogs of our special L breed from annoying the neighbours by ; unnecessary barking and howling. It is i against all handling rules laid down in s our standard works for the breed that i an Alsatian should be kept chained up ! for any length of time, because that > docs not only spoil his character, but L also his show points. Any Alsatian owner acting contrary to these rules and our friendly advice deserves all the trouble he gets with his neighbours through his misbehaving dog. It is only regrettable that owners of well-behaving and properly kept Alsatians are wanted to suffer also. Alsatians are like other creatures; if properly brought up, well trained and correctly kept and treated, they are useful, faithful and lovable friends of men and a pleasure to their owners; however, if untrained, wrongly treated and unsuitably kept, they are only too often a nuisance for everybody and utterly worthless. It has been always the policy of my club to teach our members how to keep and train their dogs, and to give those friendly but urgent advice who fail against fundamental rules. Unfortunately, there are always a few priggish outsiders who annoy their neighbours and the general public by their misbehaving dogs, but it is very unfair to lay this fault at the door of the one breed only. It is also most unfair that in all reported oases where an Alsatian has offended, his breed is always gloatingly stated. But if a sheep dog, cattle dog, collie, Airedale or a mongrel has failed, the name of the breed is generally not mentioned, leaving it to the imagination of the reader to once more suspect "these horrid Alsatians." For instance, in the lengthy report of the recent outrage at Mauku, where 56 sheep had been killed or drowned, and many damaged, the accused dog was called nine times (including the fat headlines) an "Alsatian," and towards the end only once the truth was stated that the dog which had got out of control had been "half a sheep dog and only half an Alsatian," and that he had been assisted by a "cattle dog." My club docs not deny that there are savage Alsatians which will bite people and kill sheep if they have a chance, but we are also greatly in favour that such dogs when proved guilty and habitually dangerous should be destroyed, because Ave do not want them in the shows, and especially not for breeding; we want to breed only from parent dogs with correct character. The destruction of incorrigible sheep killers only furthers the interest of the Alsatian breed. By the way, slieepfarmers have informed me that the uncontrolled common sheep dog is the worst offender. It is decidedly unfair to condemn the whole Alsatian breed because there are some specimens not true to type. What would we say if the Australians would denounce all New Zcalanders because a few of them have committed brutal murders over there? In Germany, England and America there are thousands of Alsatian dogs faithfully leading their blinded masters daily through dangerous traffic. It is not the dogs' fault that we have not the same boon also for the blind people of New Zealand. Do not let us lose our heads and become hysterical, advocating the suppression of such an intelligent and noble breed just because a few fanciers do not know how to handle their Alsatians, or insist in keeping a dog with notoriously faulty character! J. HENNINGER, Hon. Breeding and Training Adviser, N.Z. Alsatian Club.